Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Thursday 16 September 1999

Scottish Executive

Business

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that it would be of benefit to business in Scotland if it exercised the tax varying power for the years 2000-01 and 2001-02.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive will not be using the tax varying power during the lifetime of this Parliament. This has been widely welcomed by the business community in Scotland.

Employment

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to try to attract a new occupier and new jobs to the former Wrangler factory in Camelon, Falkirk.

Henry McLeish: Forth Valley Enterprise and Falkirk Council are working closely with the site owners to identify potential new tenants.

Finance

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities currently use poindings and warrant sales to collect (a) arrears of council tax; (b) rent arrears from the tenants of their housing stock, and (c) overdue parking fines.

Mr Jack McConnell: This information is not held centrally.

Finance

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what was the total amount of (a) rent arrears from tenants of Scottish local authority housing stock; (b) council tax arrears, and (c) overdue parking fines, subject to a poinding in the Scottish courts in 1997 and 1998, in real terms and by local authority.

Mr Jack McConnell: This information is not held centrally.

Finance

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much contingency funds within its budget are as yet uncommitted in the current financial year.

Mr Jack McConnell: Scotland’s Supply Estimates for 1999-2000, published on 4 February 1999, fully allocate all the funds available to the Scottish Executive to expenditure programmes.

Health

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what was the cost to the Health Education Board Scotland and local health education services within the National Health Service of promoting campaigns to reduce or stop smoking in Scotland for the last period for which figures are available.

Susan Deacon: In 1998-99, the total expenditure by the Health Education Board for Scotland on initiatives with an explicit focus on smoking amounted to £808,190. Information on the amount of expenditure specifically on smoking-related programmes by local Health Board health promotion departments is not held centrally.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many designated long stay places there are for the young chronically sick in the National Health Service in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The term young chronically sick is not used in the collection or routine description of national data. In the NHS the term "young chronically sick" is taken to be the age group 16-64 – people defined as neither children nor elderly.

  The provisional number of beds in Younger Physically Disabled Units in NHS Hospitals in Scotland, at 31 March 1999, is 237; it is not possible to determine from central returns how many of these beds are for long stay patients. These beds are designated for the treatment of different chronic conditions requiring different types of treatment and different lengths of stay. Included are beds occupied by patients between 16 and 64 which is the age group considered to fall into the category of young chronically sick.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many young chronically sick persons are in acute hospital beds in Scotland, broken down by hospital trust area, and by length of stay.

Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that no genetically modified crops are introduced into the Scottish environment unless they are proven to be safe for the environment and human health.

Susan Deacon: Genetically modified crops can only be introduced into the Scottish environment if they have been granted consent under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992 as amended. All applications for consent are subject to a rigorous safety evaluation. The Scottish Executive is advised on whether or not a consent should be granted on a case by case basis by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE), an independent expert committee, which includes, members with environmental and ethical expertise.

  The Scottish Executive’s primary concern is protecting public health and safeguarding the environment.

Health

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make a decision on the future of cardiac surgery at Glasgow Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

Susan Deacon: Today I announced my decision on the future of the paediatric cardiac surgery service in Scotland. The Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill is to become Scotland’s single centre for children’s heart surgery.

Justice

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to follow the Land Reform Policy Group’s recommendation that the Scottish Law Commission be invited to review and revise the law of the foreshore and seabed and, in light of the numerous and protracted disputes over the ownership of the seabed around Scotland, what plans it has to review the powers of the Crown Estate in Scotland.

Jim Wallace: I intend that the Scottish Law Commission will be invited to undertake a comprehensive review of the law of the foreshore and seabed as part of the Commission’s next programme of law reform. I believe it would be premature at this stage to seek agreement to change the Scotland Act’s reservation of the Crown Estate.

Post Office

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government requesting that Post Office sub-post masters in Scotland be entitled to be remunerated for their work in accordance with the principals of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998.

Henry McLeish: This is a matter for The Employment Tribunal and Courts to determine.

Poverty

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many working lone mothers in Scotland are classed as living in poverty, as defined in ‘Women, Health and Poverty: an Introduction, S Payne (1991)’.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This information is not available at present. I understand that the limitations of the Scotland samples in currently available survey sources do not allow the working lone mothers subgroup of the population to be reliably monitored. However, the new Scottish Household Survey should allow estimates for this subgroup to be made from around mid-2000.

Special Advisers

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28 by Donald Dewar on 2 July, whether it will now specify the total number of Special Advisers or political appointees that it has appointed and the total estimated annual cost of their employment.

Donald Dewar: At present there are 7 Special Advisers employed within the Scottish Executive. The estimated annual cost is £516,229.

Tourism

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the scheme of financial support to tourist boards in the Highlands and Islands given their current financial situation.

Henry McLeish: As part of our consultations on the future direction of the tourist industry, we are seeking views on the way in which Area Tourist Boards should be funded in future. I will look at the position in the light of the comments received.

Transport

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to develop the river Clyde as part of an overall transport strategy for both commerce and pleasure, and specifically in order to alleviate congestion on roads both north and south of the upper and lower Clyde.

Sarah Boyack: The integrated Transport White Paper and subsequent consultation documents set out the aim of reducing road use in favour of more environmentally friendly modes of transport. The River Clyde represents an excellent transport opportunity in this respect. I would encourage the relevant authorities to consider the scope for appropriate commercial and recreational developments within the context of the Government’s overall policy approach.

Transport

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that signposting for the town of Annan is adequate from the M74 motorway and the A75 trunk road, and in particular from the Dumfries by-pass.

Sarah Boyack: Annan is signposted on the M74, A75 and Dumfries Bypass in accordance with the national guidelines contained in The Design and Use of Directional Informatory Signs manual.

Transport

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its view is on the suitability of the Avon Gorge route as a means of travel from the M8 to the M9 and what action it proposes to take to reduce the volume of traffic using the Avon Gorge route.

Sarah Boyack: The A801 is a local rather than trunk road, and as such this is entirely a matter for the local authorities concerned.

Transport

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide a breakdown of the estimated costs of upgrading the A801 to a trunk road.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive does not hold the information requested. The A801 is a local road and the costs of upgrading it are a matter for the local authorities concerned. There are currently no plans to extend the trunk road network.

Transport

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take steps to build, within the next two years, safety barriers on all dual carriageways where they do not currently exist.

Sarah Boyack: There are 12 miles on the A77 around Kilmarnock without safety barriers. Subject to the availability of funding, safety barriers will be installed by 2000-01.

Transport

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the A8 and adjoining roads in the Coatbridge-Newhouse area.

Sarah Boyack: Proposals to upgrade the A8 to motorway between Baillieston and Newhouse are being considered in the Strategic Roads Review. I plan to report to Parliament on the Review shortly.

Transport

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the establishment of a new road bridge crossing the river Forth near Kincardine.

Sarah Boyack: I refer Mr Crawford to the answer I gave to Mr Johnston on 5 August (S1W-551).

Viasystems

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1049 by Henry McLeish on 6 September, whether the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in providing assurances regarding the grant award position at Viasystems, has at any time provided it with a copy of the DTI report of the investigation into the closure of the Viasystems plants in the Scottish Borders.

Henry McLeish: I have asked my Officials to arrange a meeting with Ms Grahame, to give her a fuller understanding of the background to this case.

Young People

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to strengthen the provision of support for young people requiring local authority throughcare and aftercare services.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive is committed to improving the quality of provision for the throughcare and aftercare of children and young people looked after by local authorities.

  My Department is issuing today a consultation paper proposing the transfer of resources from DSS to local authorities. This would enhance the resources already available to authorities and allow a vulnerable group of young people to access advice, guidance and assistance on a one-stop basis. Comments on the proposals are sought by 29 October. A copy of the consultation paper has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Graffiti

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will ensure that immediate steps are taken to remove graffiti from the Parliament’s buildings.

Sir David Steel: The SPCB has cleaning contracts in place for the Parliamentary complex which specifically incorporate arrangements for the removal of graffiti. When incidents arise, immediate steps are taken to mobilise the relevant contractor to remove the offending graffiti as quickly as possible. If necessary, specialist contractors will be consulted if the graffiti proves to be of a more intensive nature and initial efforts to remove it are not successful.